For the first time in U.S. history, the single largest group of poor children is not white

According to a Pew Hispanic Center report, for the first time in U.S. history, the single largest group of poor children is not white. According to the study and 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data, more Latino children are living in poverty (6.1 million) than children of any other racial or ethnic group. As of 2010, 37.3% of the nation’s poor children were Latino, 30.5% were white and 26.6% were black.

Between 2007 and 2010, poverty rates among Latino children increased (6.4%) at a greater rate than the rates of black children (4.6%) and white children (2.3%).

Although the largest group of poor children is Latino children, the nation’s highest child poverty rate is among black children. 39.1% of black children live in poverty compared to 35% of Latino children and 12.4% of white children.